Brass band target the feet as much as the ears

A GROUP whose aim is to reinvent the brass band sound for the 21st century is bringing its live show to the Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot later this month.

The Hackney Colliery Band have been touring their new album Sharpener, released last summer, around the UK.

A tour de force of trumpets, trombones, saxes, sousaphone, marching percussion and electronics, the band are as inspired by contemporary rock and electronica as they are New Orleans marching bands and the traditional British brass bands to which their name pays homage.

Formed in 2008 out of a desire to play music that appealed to the feet as much as to the ears, the band has rapidly gained an army of loyal supporters — among them radio DJs Lauren Laverne, Gilles Peterson, Craig Charles, Huey Morgan, Jamie Cullum, Rob Da Bank and John Kennedy.

Since the release of their eponymous debut in 2011, the nine-piece have blown their way into the public consciousness with their energetic and passionate live shows, amassing fans worldwide and reinventing the brass band sound for the modern age.

The band’s Cornerstone show takes place at 8pm on Friday, January 27.

A spokesman for the Station Road venue said: “Hackney Colliery Band’s members have hugely diverse musical backgrounds, ranging from work with cutting-edge jazz groups to the Royal Opera House, and from Jarvis Cocker to major international orchestras.

“This breadth of musical talent is clearly on display in their eclectic repertoire, mining nuggets of funk, hip-hop and high-octane rock from the musical coalface and throwing in a few chunks of Balkan brass, electronica and contemporary jazz for good measure. They sold out last time they were here, so be quick!”

Tickets for the concert are priced £20 with concessions £18. To book, call 01235 515144 or visit www.cornerstone-arts.org